


Keeping Up Appearances

by thethirstorder (KaiserPhoenix)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Anxious Hux, Blowjobs, Haircuts, Kissing, M/M, Masturbation, Mild Blood, Mild Force Choking, Power Play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-04
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-06-04 03:08:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6638821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaiserPhoenix/pseuds/thethirstorder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What in the blazes — Ren! If you do not unhand me right this instant I’ll —” </p><p> “I — I could cut your hair for you,” Kylo blurted out.  </p><p>Hux stopped struggling and looked up at Kylo in confusion. “What did you say?”</p><p>“I said… I offered… I’ll give you a haircut.”</p><p>Prompt: General Hux needs a haircut and he fights Kylo Ren about it. Things come to a head when Kylo insists on doing it himself...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vadianna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vadianna/gifts).



> This is my first attempt to write smut. I hope you enjoy it!

General Hux peered at his reflection in the mirror, combing pomade through his fine red hair. He parted it just left of centre so that the bulk of his ginger locks fell on the right side of his face and set about styling it methodically. He pushed his bangs back from his forehead and swept the strands into place with the comb. Frowning, Hux tilted his head slowly from side to side and tucked a few stray hairs neatly away. Hux stepped back to admire his handiwork.

A man with mercurial eyes that could change from piercing blue to rainy grey to fiery emerald depending on the light, looked back at him. In the brightness of his refresher, his eyes appeared an overcast grey-blue, a sky on the verge of a storm. Set against the dark circles on the pallor of his high-cheekboned face, Hux’s eyes flared with ambition.

Hux reached a hand up to flick a few errant strands from his face and smoothed down his perfectly coiffed hair one last time. He brushed imaginary creases from his immaculately pressed uniform and clicked his heels against the fresher floor. Satisfied with his appearance, Hux left the fresher and picked up his datapad, which flashed with Hux’s schedule for the day.

First on the agenda was a briefing, where Hux would update his team on the design progress for Starkiller Base — his most ambitious project to date — followed by a walkthrough of sectors Aurek through Dorn. Hux did not have any appointments scheduled for the afternoon, which he would use to receive reports and approve budgets.

Wasting no time, Hux strode out of his quarters and made his way down the corridor towards one of the _Finalizer_ ’s many meeting chambers. Hux began to prepare the room for a hologram display of the blueprints thus far. He adjusted the angle of the projection, tinkered with the light percentage, and ensured that the image definition was clear. Hux moved the seats to form a crescent, giving everyone a decent view of the plan.

Hux was so immersed in his work that he did not notice Kylo Ren glide in and assume his seat at the back of the room.

When Hux turned the lights back to one hundred per cent and felt Kylo’s stare on him through his masked face, he started. He recovered himself almost instantly, but somehow he knew that Kylo saw his reaction and could picture the man’s wry smile.

Hux resolved not to dwell on his momentary lapse of composure as the other officers filed in. Ren watched Hux deliver his briefing without listening to anything he was saying. As Hux gestured towards the hologram of Starkiller Base, Kylo noticed that a few strands of the General’s hair had broken rank and fallen to his forehead. The bright orange of Hux’s hair glinted in the light and offset the cloudiness of his eyes, lighting them to a clear blue.

Kylo was unsure whether Hux had noticed the divergence from his usually flawless appearance, since the General did nothing to restore the disobedient strands to where they belonged. Hux continued to drone on and on about the various changes to the shields on the base, the speed at which the weapon could harness energy from the Sun, and the specifics of the thermal oscillator, his gestures sharp, yet enthusiastic.

Kylo was grateful for his mask; he was beginning to blush and he found himself incapable of looking at anything else in the room other than Hux. There was something mesmerizing about seeing the General even remotely out of order. A few more hairs brushed the nape of Hux’s neck, which made Kylo blush even more furiously. It looked soft and well-kept; had Hux’s hair always had that texture? Kylo had never seen any part of it unslicked and the softness he detected intrigued him.

“… which, I anticipate will be finished within the month,” Hux said. “Are there any questions?”      

Kylo gasped involuntarily as he realised what it was: Hux needed a haircut. It had simply grown too long for whatever the man used to maintain its hold over his stern hairstyle.

[Art by [generallyhuxurious]](generallyhuxurious.tumblr.com)

“Ren?”

Kylo had not expected to be called on and cursed his intake of breath. “I have nothing to add.”

“Anyone else?” Hux paused. “No? Seeing none, this meeting is adjourned,” he declared.

The rest of the officers shuffled out of the room, mumbling amongst themselves as they did so. When the last of them had exited, Hux immediately pushed the loose strands of hair back to the top of his head. He then set about restoring the furniture to its usual place, ignoring Ren in the hopes that he would also take his leave.

Kylo idly Force-lifted the last chair that Hux was about to move and put it back in its place. Hux did not acknowledge Ren’s small act of assistance and was about to head off, nearly walking straight into the taller man who stood in his way.

“Move, Ren.”

“You need a haircut,” Kylo stated. Hux was shocked — Ren had never remarked upon his appearance before and the idea that Hux should value the judgements of a man who flaunted his own non-regulation hair, was insulting.

“My appearance is not of your concern. I don’t need a haircut,” Hux said, barely keeping the irritation from his voice. He attempted to sidestep Ren but Kylo extended his arm and leaned against the wall, blocking Hux from leaving. Hux whipped around to look Ren in the eye; unfortunately for him, he turned too fast and unsettled his hair again.

Kylo smirked under his mask. “It seems you are mistaken, General.”  In one fluid motion, Kylo ran his free hand through Hux’s tresses, sweeping his bangs back into position.

“Don’t touch me!” Hux shouted, louder than he intended. He cleared his throat in an attempt to control his fury, giving Kylo the iciest stare he could muster.

“Careful, Ren,” said Hux, lowering his voice. “That was highly inappropriate conduct. I have places to be and I will not allow you and your unwarranted actions to disrupt my schedule. I demand that you cease obstructing my path.” Hux tried to shove Ren out of his way, but Kylo caught hold of his wrists and pressed them to the wall behind Hux, pinning him. He held on, but not so tight as to hurt Hux.

“What in the blazes — Ren! If you do not unhand me right this instant I’ll —”

“I — I could cut your hair for you,” Kylo blurted out.  

Hux stopped struggling and looked up at Kylo in confusion. “What did you say?”

“I said… I offered… I’ll give you a haircut.”

“Absolutely not. I don’t have time for this nonsense. I have sectors to inspect.”

Kylo kept hold of Hux, who knew it was not worth it to attempt to fight Ren there and then. Besides, if he stayed long enough to get into a fight, he would truly risk being late for his walkthrough. Hux rolled his eyes.

“Fine, I’ll get a haircut,” he begrudged.

“When?”

“I’ll book one at my earliest convenience,” Hux said through gritted teeth.

“But I’m offering to do it now,” Kylo said, releasing his grip on Hux’s wrists.

“You? You couldn’t control a ship on autopilot! And the only things you know how to cut up are my consoles! Why the pfassk would I let you make a mess of my hair? Besides, you can’t do it now — how many times do I have to tell you that I’m busy? Now, **get out of my way**.”

When Kylo still did not move, Hux sighed in exasperation.

“If I let you cut my hair, will you stop haranguing me about it?”

“Yes.”

“Kriffing splendid.”

“Come to my quarters after lunch.”

With that, Kylo stepped aside and Hux brushed past him, promptly speedwalking down the corridor. Ren giggled, grateful for his mask’s vocoder, which transformed his glee into a rumbling cackle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The magnificent [generallyhuxurious](generallyhuxurious.tumblr.com) and [GenerallyHuxurious](http://archiveofourown.org/users/GallifreyanOmnishambles/pseuds/GenerallyHuxurious) here on AO3 has blessed this fic with some [incredible art](http://generallyhuxurious.tumblr.com/post/145302255305/a-couple-of-15-minute-speed-sketch-challenge) inspired by this first chapter! Please take a look and show them some love <3


	2. Chapter 2

Hux made it to the Aurek sector with five minutes to spare. As he made his rounds, Hux couldn’t help but mull over Kylo’s comment. For the first time in years, he felt horribly self-conscious. He walked through the designated areas, checking the equipment and workstations, and pausing every so often to glance at his reflection in the _Finalizer_ ’s various polished surfaces. He ran his hand through his hair repeatedly, as if that would help keep it in place.

Ever since his Academy days, Hux had been conspicuous for his skinny frame, his height, and his bright red hair. He had come to embrace these aspects of his body with time but as he tried to maintain decorum, his involuntary thoughts got the better of him.

 _You look ridiculous,_ said the voice of his anxiety. _The second you’re out of sight, they’ll laugh and tell stories about how look today. How do you expect to rule the Galaxy if you can’t even recognise when you need a haircut?_ Hux clenched his fists. _Ren has no clue what he’s doing and he’s going to make it even worse than it is now._

These thoughts plagued Hux for the duration of his tour. Luckily, he found no major problems and he was relieved to be done when he reached the Dorn sector. Far too nervous from his negative thoughts to eat anything, Hux grabbed a cup of caf and drank it on his way to Ren’s rooms.

By the time he reached Ren’s chambers, Hux’s insecurity had turned to fury. Not only had Ren insulted him, that laserbrain had dredged up the anxiety that Hux worked so hard to suppress. It was time for Hux to regain control. He knocked politely on Ren’s door.

“It’s open,” called Kylo. Hux walked in, steeling his confident exterior. To his surprise, Kylo was prepared — _since when was Ren prepared for anything other than an emotional outburst?_

In the centre of the room was a comfy-looking black chair, certainly not First Order standard. Set on a table beside it was a large basin, a pair of scissors, and various products that Hux had never seen before. Before Hux could look for Ren, the latter emerged from his fresher carrying a towel.

Ren was still wearing his stupid mask. “How good of you to join me,” he said.

“Dispense with the pleasantries, Ren. Let’s get this over with. First off, you’re not cutting my hair wearing that thing. Can you even see properly?”

Kylo ignored the rhetorical question. “You may want to remove your tunic. I’m sure you do not wish to stain it.” Hux winced; Ren had a point. Still, he held his ground.

“And what if I don’t want to?”

“You needn’t be so difficult, General. How about this: if you take off your tunic, I’ll take off my mask.”

Hux glared at Kylo, hating him. He unbuckled his belt as Kylo unlatched his mask. Hux slid his tunic over his head, leaving him in his black tank top, emblazoned with the First Order insignia. Ren took off his mask, flipping his own voluminous hair as he did so. He placed the mask on a stand, filled with what looked like ashes. Hux didn’t even want to know, so he didn’t ask.

Kylo allowed himself to take in the sight of Hux’s pale skin and his protruding collarbones. Stars, the man really was tiny. Kylo wondered how in Malachor Hux had undergone the strict Academy training regime and passed with flying colours.

His eyes must have lingered a moment too long; Hux scolded him.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s creepy. I’m supposed to sit on that, yes?” Hux gestured towards the chair in the middle of the room.

“It’s yours.”

Hux sat. The first thing he felt was a pair of hands pushing his shoulders down and rubbing tender circles on his back, taking out the tension he did not realise he held there. The sensation was unlike anything he had ever experienced before, the knots in his muscles softened under Ren’s hands and his whole body was warmed through the heat of contact. It was not unpleasant, Hux admitted. Still, he didn’t want Ren’s filthy hands all over him no matter how pleasant the result.

“Ren, I would appreciate it if you didn’t touch me more than necessary,” Hux snapped.

“This is necessary. And I’m not touching you.”

“Yes you are, I can feel it. Do you not understand the concept of personal space? I’m getting really sick of — ” Hux turned around to look Ren in the eye as he barked at him, only to find that Kylo was on the other side of the room. _Oh._

He often forgot about that Force gibberish.

“It’s called a massage, Hux,” Kylo murmured, addressing Hux by name and not rank. “It’s supposed to be nice. But, only if you let me. Should I continue?”

“Yes.” Hux paused. “Yes please.” He closed his eyes and allowed Kylo to resume his work, the Force melting warmly into him. Behind him, the sound of running water calmed his agitated mind. Hux felt the pressures of the day seep away and breathed a small sigh of relief. Kylo slowly withdrew his Force massage and approached Hux with the basin of water.

“I’m going to wash your hair now. While I do that, I want you to mentally picture what you want your haircut to be. I can look and replicate it.”

“You want to get into my head?”

“Yes but not the way you’ve seen,” Kylo said. “This is different. You’re supposed to project. It won’t hurt if you’re projecting. You’ve only ever seen me invade.”

“I don’t trust you with my head,” Hux said curtly.

“This situation says otherwise,” countered Kylo, waving his hand in the direction of his prepared table. “Tilt your head back.”

Hux complied. He tried to recall in as much detail as possible how he looked on the day he was formally promoted to the rank of General. He had had his hair cut the day before the ceremony and he had declined the offer of a stylist, preferring his own methods. Still, he remembered how it felt to have his hair cut for that occasion and he pictured himself standing tall and proud in his full dress uniform, the sunlight catching his hair in a halo of fire.

Kylo drank in the same image and wondered whether Hux still owned that uniform. Holding the basin aloft using the Force, Kylo soaked Hux’s hair and worked shampoo into his scalp with surprisingly gentle hands. From this angle, Kylo had a distractingly good view of the General’s exposed neck. He rinsed the shampoo out of Hux’s hair and stood back. Hux looked well-rested for the first time in months, maybe even years. Ren decided to test the waters and applied the barest minimum amount of Force pressure to Hux’s neck. Hux moaned softly, his breaths getting shorter.

“You want to massage my neck now?”

“Not quite,” said Kylo, walking around the chair to face Hux.

“Then what _do_ you want to do?” Hux sat up and shot Kylo a daring smile, as though he knew exactly what Ren wanted to do. In response, Kylo increased the pressure on Hux’s throat, causing his cheeks to flush a delightful shade of pink and set his ambitious jade-green eyes alight with lust. Hux inelegantly gulped down what little air he could, his wet hair sticking to his face.

If Kylo was mesmerised by Hux’s hair out of place during the briefing, the sight before him drove him absolutely wild. Waves of desire pulsed through him and he could feel himself growing hard under his robes.

Hux held up one hand, motioning for Kylo to release him.

In a single swift motion, Kylo bent down and pressed his lips to Hux’s in a fierce kiss. He expected Hux to yell at him again and push him away, but to his astonishment Hux kissed back with equal fervour. Ren slipped his tongue into Hux’s mouth and felt it meet Hux’s. In response, Hux bit down, hard, on Ren’s tongue, flavouring both of them with the tang of blood.

Kylo withdrew and started on Hux’s neck, trailing bloody kisses down delicate flesh. Hux threaded his hands in Kylo’s hair so that he all but fell into Hux’s lap. Hux tugged at Ren’s leg; Ren moved to sit astride Hux in his chair. He could feel the General’s own erection pressing against his leg through the fabric of his trousers.

“Is this what you want?” Hux whispered, pulling him closer.

“Yes,” Kylo breathed.

Hux removed his fingers from Kylo’s hair. He rose and motioned for Kylo to take his place in the chair. Without warning, Hux divested himself of his clothing, pulling his top over his head, unbuckling his boots, and wriggling his slender hips free of his breeches and underwear. Hux’s cock was fully hard and Kylo sat down wordlessly without taking his eyes off it.

Hux knelt in front of him. Sliding his hand under Ren’s robes, Hux dragged his fingertips languidly over the bulge in Ren’s trousers and undid them. He loosened Ren’s boots and pulled them off along with his trousers and underwear. Parting the front of Kylo’s robes and edging Kylo’s knees apart, Hux gave Kylo’s cock — already glistening with precum — a few slow, teasing strokes before he took the head into his mouth. Hux circled it tantalisingly with his tongue, licking the underside and running the tip of his tongue across the slit.  

Kylo tried to thrust further into Hux’s mouth, but Hux took his mouth off Kylo entirely, eliciting a low groan from him at the loss of contact.

“If you don’t wait, I’ll leave you unsated.” Without giving Kylo a chance to reply, Hux resumed his work. This time, he sucked in earnest, tightening his lips around Kylo’s length, digging the fingernails of his left hand into the soft skin of Kylo’s thigh and caressing the shaft with his right.

Painfully slow, Hux took the rest of Kylo’s dick into his mouth. Kylo took two fistfuls of Hux’s still damp hair and held on. In response, Hux pushed Kylo’s legs up over his shoulders and pressed in closer. Kylo lifted his hips off the chair and thrust deeper; Hux sped up his pace as Kylo fucked desperately into his mouth.

Hux reached down and began to pump his own cock with short, fast strokes. The heat between his legs reached critical levels, the heavy ache in his dick increasing and his abdominal muscles tensing with each ripple of want. Kylo looked down and saw Hux’s soft eyes with pupils blown wide and swollen, spit-slick lips around his cock. Kylo felt Hux dig his nails further into his thigh, hard enough to draw blood as he slammed into Hux’s mouth, fucking the back of his throat raw.

Hux thrust shamelessly into his own touch, registering the irony of performing such an intimate act while sucking Kylo Ren’s dick, but he would later smirk devilishly with the knowledge that he never once allowed Ren to control the passions of his body. He would take his pleasure by his own hand only — and take Ren’s with the other.

Kylo tightened his fists in Hux’s dishevelled hair and pulled so hard that Hux cried out, even with his mouth full of Kylo’s dick. The noise Hux made, something between a whine and a muffled moan, pushed Kylo over the edge; groaning wantonly, he came in thick spurts that stung Hux’s throat sore.

Hux stroked himself to completion and came neatly and quietly into his other hand. He wiped his hand on Kylo’s thigh as he rose and rested both his hands on Kylo’s shoulders. He paused for a moment before shoving Ren mercilessly to the ground. Hux reclaimed his throne and crossed his legs. From under hooded eyes, Hux regarded Ren disdainfully, the ghost of a smile playing on his kiss-bruised lips.

Kylo opened his mouth to say something but Hux put his hand under Ren’s jaw and heard the clack of Ren’s teeth as he silenced him. Hux pulled Ren’s chin up and forced him to meet his gaze.

“Did you enjoy pulling my hair like that?”

Ren nodded, his eyes wide; Hux sighed in mock sympathy.

“What a shame I’m having it cut today,” Hux drawled. He flicked his wrist in the direction of Ren’s untouched table. “Get on with it.”

**Author's Note:**

> When I was young and innocent, I thought a blowjob was a kind of thing you could get done in a hair salon.  
> Come and talk to me on [tumblr](thethirstorder.tumblr.com)!


End file.
